Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Review & Swatches: Lipstick Queen Liptropolis

Sarah and I were lucky enough to meet Poppy King at a recent Space NK event. Being a fan of both lipstick in general and the Lipstick Queen herself, I was pretty excited. My excitement was soon surpassed by the little look I got of Liptropolis, volume one of an unspecified number of lipstick libraries, encased in book-like packaging and containing three shades apiece.

The inside of the book contains a missive from Poppy, and three lipsticks in silver packaging, encased in silver cardboard. Liptropolis is inspired by New York, and Poppy says she's chosen the three shades included to represent the distinctive areas of the city.

The shades are, from left to right, Soho, described as a fashionable red; Upper East, described as an elegant nude; and Central Park, described as a refined peach.

Soho. This one looks a little different in the tube than it does on the lips - I thought it'd be a blue toned true red, but it turns out it's a little more pink toned, more of a ruby red.

Upper East. I was expecting this to be a fairly standard beige tone, but it's actually a slightly peachier shade.

Central Park. I'm usually afraid of peach - it tends to clash with my hair. But this shade reads much more coral on my skin, and is deliciously bright and wearable.

Left to right: Soho, Upper East, Central Park

These lipsticks take a little while to warm up on the lip, much like the regular Sinner line from the main Lipstick Queen collection. Once warmed up, though, they glide on with only a little dragging, have a medium opacity, and can be easily built up to the full colour shown above, in just a couple of passes over the lips. They're wonderfully comfortable, combining lightness, moistness, and the feeling that they're there for the duration.

I like these a lot. I like the shade selection and the fact that the shades themselves surprised me, and I love the collectible, decorate packaging. I would definitely buy another edition. Sadly, Poppy wouldn't give us any hints on the theme of the next library - but she did say that it wouldn't be city themed.

At £40, this certainly isn't a cheap set - but if you've ever tried a Lipstick Queen lipstick before, you'll know that the quality level is high enough to justify around £13 a tube. Find it at Space NK now.